Crowd control barrier
Encyclopedia
Crowd control barriers (also referred to as crowd control barricades, with some versions called a French barrier or bike rack in the USA), are commonly used at many public events. They are frequently visible at sporting events, parades, political rallies, demonstrations, and outdoor festivals. Event organizers, venue managers, and security personnel use barricades as part of their crowd management planning.
Crowd control barriers act as a physical and psychological barrier, used to demarcate "no access" zones, and to designate space for lines. They are also used by riot police to control large gatherings.
Crowd control barricades are most commonly made of steel, although lighter-weight plastic variations are sometimes used. Barriers are most effective when they interlock, being attached to each other in a line via hooks at the side of each barricade. When barricades are interlocked, security personnel can create impenetrable lines, because such lines of barriers will not likely be able to be toppled over.
has been credited the invention of the crowd control barrier. On his visit to Brussels
with the balloon Géant, on September 26, 1864, Nadar erected mobile barriers to keep the crowd at a safe distance. Up to this day, crowd control barriers are known in Belgium as Nadar barriers.
. The legs are similar but rather heavy duty facsimiles of the hobby sawhorse-version, and of about the same height. The horizontal bar consists of a heavy duty plank of about 4.2 metres (14 ft) long with printed on it in large letters: Police Line - Do Not Cross. Beginning in the 1980s, steel barriers gradually took the place of wooden sawhorses at many events, including major holiday parades in New York City.
Barriers became an increasingly common sight, and without much fanfare, blended in to the popular culture. Americans soon became accustomed to barriers being part of the background at important events. One of the earliest and most famous examples was the use of barriers at John F. Kennedy International Airport
in New York City to control the hysterical crowds which greeted The Beatles
' arrival in the U.S. in 1964. Steel crowd control barricades have been a common sight at the Olympic Games since the 1980s.
s were developed in the 1980s
for big events such as concerts. These barriers are common sight between the stage and the audience and were developed especially to protect visitors from e.g. suffocation and to allow security guards to work in a safer environment.
The international standard barrier lengths are 1-meter, 2-meter, and 2.5-meter. The standard height (for optimum safety and visibility) of a barrier is 43 inches. An 8-foot barricade weights approximately 55 pounds.
To prevent damage, standard barricades are made of 16-gauge steel tubing, measuring 1.5 inches on the outside diameter. Quality barricades are also hot dip galvanized
after fabrication, which allows the barriers to be placed and even stored outside without the danger of rust
ing.
Some barricades are manufactured with bases welded to the barrier; others feature bases which are bolted on. The latter are advantageous because they are replaceable (a new base can be inserted; thus damage to a base doesn't render the rest of the barrier unusable). There are four main styles of replaceable bases: flat bases, bridge bases, U bases, and wheel bases, all of which offer advantages in different circumstances.
Crowd control barricades are sometimes placed side by side without being attached, but they are most effective when they are hooked together. Without a solid interlock, barriers can be lifted out of place by individuals in a crowd, compromising the integrity of a line. The most popular hook style is the "classic" style in which the male hooks are 15 inches apart. The second most common, the "wide hook" style, has the male hooks 25 inches apart.
Crowd control barriers act as a physical and psychological barrier, used to demarcate "no access" zones, and to designate space for lines. They are also used by riot police to control large gatherings.
Crowd control barricades are most commonly made of steel, although lighter-weight plastic variations are sometimes used. Barriers are most effective when they interlock, being attached to each other in a line via hooks at the side of each barricade. When barricades are interlocked, security personnel can create impenetrable lines, because such lines of barriers will not likely be able to be toppled over.
Nadar
The French photographer NadarNadar (photographer)
Félix Nadar was the pseudonym of Gaspard-Félix Tournachon , a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist and balloonist. Some photographs by Nadar are marked "P. Nadar" for "Photographie Nadar" .-Life: born in April 1820 in Paris...
has been credited the invention of the crowd control barrier. On his visit to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
with the balloon Géant, on September 26, 1864, Nadar erected mobile barriers to keep the crowd at a safe distance. Up to this day, crowd control barriers are known in Belgium as Nadar barriers.
Wooden Sawhorses
In the mid-to-late 20th century a common version was made of wood in the shape of a sawhorseSawhorse
A sawhorse is a beam with four legs used to support a board or plank for sawing. A pair of sawhorses can support a plank, forming a scaffold. In certain circles, it is also known as a mule.The sawhorse may be designed to fold for storage...
. The legs are similar but rather heavy duty facsimiles of the hobby sawhorse-version, and of about the same height. The horizontal bar consists of a heavy duty plank of about 4.2 metres (14 ft) long with printed on it in large letters: Police Line - Do Not Cross. Beginning in the 1980s, steel barriers gradually took the place of wooden sawhorses at many events, including major holiday parades in New York City.
Interlocking Steel Barriers
Interlocking steel barriers were patented in France in 1951. The original "Samia" barrier was developed to meet the need to maintain safety and order during France's social upheaval of the 1950s. This type of barricade soon became adopted for crowd control in other European countries, and eventually, the United States. Samia eventually went out of business, but many variations on its original barrier evolved over the years.Barriers became an increasingly common sight, and without much fanfare, blended in to the popular culture. Americans soon became accustomed to barriers being part of the background at important events. One of the earliest and most famous examples was the use of barriers at John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
in New York City to control the hysterical crowds which greeted The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' arrival in the U.S. in 1964. Steel crowd control barricades have been a common sight at the Olympic Games since the 1980s.
Mojo Barriers
Mojo BarrierMojo Barrier
Mojo Barriers are a type of temporary fencing commonly used at public events such as concerts and festivals. They are specifically used for separating the area open to the public from the stage. These barriers were developed in the 1980s by Dutch event organisor Mojo Concerts...
s were developed in the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
for big events such as concerts. These barriers are common sight between the stage and the audience and were developed especially to protect visitors from e.g. suffocation and to allow security guards to work in a safer environment.
Characteristics
Numerous suppliers and fabricators have created crowd control barricades, but over the years, some unofficial standards have been generally accepted. These characteristics have been inherent in the barricades offered by the leading suppliers since the 1990s.The international standard barrier lengths are 1-meter, 2-meter, and 2.5-meter. The standard height (for optimum safety and visibility) of a barrier is 43 inches. An 8-foot barricade weights approximately 55 pounds.
To prevent damage, standard barricades are made of 16-gauge steel tubing, measuring 1.5 inches on the outside diameter. Quality barricades are also hot dip galvanized
Galvanization
Galvanization is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, in order to prevent rusting. The term is derived from the name of Italian scientist Luigi Galvani....
after fabrication, which allows the barriers to be placed and even stored outside without the danger of rust
Rust
Rust is a general term for a series of iron oxides. In colloquial usage, the term is applied to red oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture...
ing.
Some barricades are manufactured with bases welded to the barrier; others feature bases which are bolted on. The latter are advantageous because they are replaceable (a new base can be inserted; thus damage to a base doesn't render the rest of the barrier unusable). There are four main styles of replaceable bases: flat bases, bridge bases, U bases, and wheel bases, all of which offer advantages in different circumstances.
Crowd control barricades are sometimes placed side by side without being attached, but they are most effective when they are hooked together. Without a solid interlock, barriers can be lifted out of place by individuals in a crowd, compromising the integrity of a line. The most popular hook style is the "classic" style in which the male hooks are 15 inches apart. The second most common, the "wide hook" style, has the male hooks 25 inches apart.
See also
- Chicane (barrier)Chicane (barrier)A chicane is a kind of permanent fence used at a railway crossing to prevent pedestrians from running across the railway tracks or at least to slow them down. A similar arrangement is sometimes used at the entrances of parks to impede bicycle access....
- Crowd controlCrowd controlCrowd control is the controlling of a crowd, to prevent the outbreak of disorder and prevention of possible riot. Examples are at soccer matches, when a sale of goods has attracted an excess of customers, refugee control, or mass decontamination and mass quarantine situations . It calls for gentler...
- Temporary fencingTemporary fencingTemporary Fence is used where building a permanent fence is either impractical or unneeded. Temporary fencing is used when an area needs barriers for the purposes of public safety or security, crowd control, theft deterrent, or equipment storage. Its most common use is as construction hoarding for...
- Vinyl fenceVinyl fenceA synthetic fence, plastic fence or vinyl fence is a fence made using synthetic plastics, such as vinyl , polypropylene, nylon, polythene or from various recycled plastics. It is used for agricultural fencing, horse racing and residential use. Synthetic fence is generally available preformed,...
- Privacy fencingPrivacy fencingPrivacy fencing is the use of fences to protect privacy, usually by preventing outsiders from seeing onto a property. There are cultural differences with regards to the use of fences around properties. For instance, it is common in European countries to put a fence around the entire border of one's...
- Crowd manipulationCrowd manipulationCrowd manipulation is the intentional use of techniques based on the principles of crowd psychology to engage, control, or influence the desires of a crowd in order to direct its behavior toward a specific action. This practice is common to politics and business and can facilitate the approval or...
- 2009 Birmingham Millennium Point stampede